While there are hundreds of charlatans slinging SEO and social media services to millions of unsuspecting business owners, there are thousands of great professionals out there grinding it out and moving needles. A common theme among freelancers and agencies is that they get results, but they’re not able to properly articulate those results for their customers. Thus, great agencies lose customers.

I have personally met my fair share of search engine optimization experts that are impressive in their knowledge, ability, and dedication. How is it that these people struggle to renew contracts?

As we reach our 300th annual customer, a common theme of our ownership meetings rings through my head.

Two things matter: Results, and our customer’s perception of those results.

It’s true. The best marketers in the world have lost customers, and if you asked them, one of the biggest reasons for their failure was that they didn’t properly layout the KPIs before beginning the project and they failed to properly report on the results.

Whether you’re new to freelancing or thinking about starting an Internet marketing agency, the greatest piece of advice that I can offer you is to make sure that you drive results and articulate those results so that you paint a picture for your customer. No amount of graphs or charts will impress your customer. However, if you can paint a picture that illustrates the value that you bring to their business, then you will have a customer for life.

Two things matter: Results, and our customer’s perception of those results. #marketingClick To Tweet

]]>While there are hundreds of charlatans slinging SEO and social media services to millions of unsuspecting business owners, there are thousands of great professionals out there grinding it out and moving needles. A common theme among freelancers and agencies is that they get results, but they&#8217;re not able to properly articulate those results for their [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/results-and-perception-of-results/feed/0http://kevinekmark.com/results-and-perception-of-results/When We Won’t Know that We’re Being Marketed Tohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/i6gNe1pAOeY/BlogKevinMon, 15 Aug 2016 10:59:02 PDThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=1053

There’s an unfortunate trend going on as major networks embrace streaming content. Nothing has changed in terms of advertising, other than the vehicle in which the content is now delivered. Television ads are still 30-60 second commercials, but they’re just a lot weirder now because that seems to be the only thing to get us to look up from our number one screen (our phones). The ad recall level for another weird ad cannot be that high, and it’s more of a bother than anything.

Have the media companies learned nothing from Netflix?

Less Disruptive and More Effective Advertising

Netflix and HBO have proven that the subscription model works really well. Consumers are ready and willing to pay for original content and no commercials. Attention is the number one commodity that media companies are bidding for, and nothing makes a program more engaging than no commercials which disrupt the storyline or drag a show that should be 30 minutes into an hour.

The Netflix model works because we can easily binge watch House of Cards or Stranger Things.

One other trend that I touched on a few months ago was product placement. The television show, Jane the Virgin, brought on Target as a partner which created memorable brand experiences as the brand was organically (and sometimes humorously) intertwined into the story. Bravo’s original series, Odd Mom Out, recently used a Chrysler Pacifica to self park on a Manhattan parallel spot. It was glaringly obvious that this was the future of advertising for brands. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, you’re well aware of their affinity for Hyundais.

When brands can be part of the story, consumers will have a better experience and advertisers will be able to place their products in a way that shows the consumer how it works in action. Rather than hiring a star to be a pitchman/pitchwoman, they can now become an influencer.

Influencer Marketing Will Need to Grow Up

The current state of influencer marketing concerns me as well. We’re taking people with large amounts of followers online and having them do the exact same crap as TV commercials. While it kind of works right now, I believe it’s starting to wear on people.

It’s time for influencers to marry their talents with the brands that want to work with them.

There are bigger opportunities for influencers to build relationships with brands that they really believe in and for brands to leverage influence by becoming part of the story naturally. Online influencers should take advantage of the environment that is largely being ignored by the major media companies.

As an influencer, why would you sacrifice your image just to sling a pair of headphones or bathing suit like every magazine ad? And brands, aren’t you piggy backing off of the influencer because of their talents for creating awesome content? Why not play a role in that story rather than be ignored because you’re just another ad?

The Opportunity Is Right Now

If television and influencer marketing evolve the way that I believe they will, then there will be massive opportunities for early adopters (Hint: It’s happening right now). As someone who is passionate about working with small businesses, I can tell you that now is a good time to be working with influencers and story telling with your own brand. It’s exactly why you should be creating your own content and leveraging the content that other creatives create to blend your brand into their next share.

While the big media companies keep making billboards, magazine ads, and really weird television commercials that continue to be ignored, your business could be the one that builds its own story by playing a role in the lives of influencers in an authentic way that stirs their followers to say, “I need that!“

]]>There&#8217;s an unfortunate trend going on as major networks embrace streaming content. Nothing has changed in terms of advertising, other than the vehicle in which the content is now delivered. Television ads are still 30-60 second commercials, but they&#8217;re just a lot weirder now because that seems to be the only thing to get us to [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/when-we-wont-know-that-were-being-marketed-to/Can a Polished Look Hurt Your Marketing?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/tLF2yNVm35E/BlogKevinTue, 10 May 2016 19:25:02 PDThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=1030

I love clean, functional, and aesthetically pleasing design. When a website is laid out with the user in mind, it’s a welcoming experience. Businesses can sometimes go a little overboard in how polished they look when it comes to marketing themselves via social media. Authenticity is a theme that is surfacing as content saturation continues, and over polished content (especially ads) tend to stand out like sore thumbs as we scroll through our newsfeeds. Instead of clicks, they get passed over.

As businesses try to attract new sales through social media, it seems obvious that customers want to click on a perfectly manicured image or video. What if things were shifting though? What if people were more attracted to images that look like they took them (less perfect)? What if the ads that popped were the ones that actually blend into the platform that we’re (marketers) trying to use to grow business?

Staying True to Why People Actually Use Social Media

When you look at Snapchat and their On Demand Geofilters, they’re still fun to use because filters for the most part or rarely implemented (bought by businesses) and they are generally fun or creative. They fit the platform really well. Somewhere along the line, we decided that Facebook needed to be treated as if it were a banner ad on the top of weather.com, rather than fit our content to the medium.

I’m currently testing out a handful of ads for TrustWorkz. One ad uses a professional photo with text overlay. The other uses a selfie photo of myself and a few team members from TrustWorkz. Guess which one is driving clicks 10:1!

Marketers ruin everything. It seems as if we are also not seeing things for how they really are, and attempting to fit squares of yesterday (banner ads) into the circles of today (behavior/style matching of platforms).

The trick to driving business is to use the platforms like the users you’re actually trying to attract. Stay authentic, stay scrappy, and keep your eyes open. Attract people with beautiful photography that depict micro-moments that your brand creates. They can be selfies, professional resort photos, or just group of people having fun. Just stop trying to fool everyone – it’s not working (anymore).

]]>I love clean, functional, and aesthetically pleasing design. When a website is laid out with the user in mind, it&#8217;s a welcoming experience. Businesses can sometimes go a little overboard in how polished they look when it comes to marketing themselves via social media. Authenticity is a theme that is surfacing as content saturation continues, [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/can-a-polished-look-hurt-your-marketing/Holding Too Tight to the Marketing that Used to Work Instead of Moving Forwardhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/PZJumw89o_A/BlogKevinThu, 21 Apr 2016 13:56:49 PDThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=1024

We can tell that there’s a shift in digital awareness amongst small business owners right now. Unfortunately for most, it’s not happening quickly enough nor is it going deep enough. We’re still just scratching the surface, even with small businesses that are beginning to embrace Internet marketing.

One of my big concerns right now for small businesses is that they are spending a lot of money on advertising strategies that are not just months or years out of date, but decades! I dedicate hours out of every day just to learn more about marketing, trends, and our own data. Constantly educating yourself like my team does, while running a business, seems extremely overwhelming. It’s no surprise that small businesses are still wasting thousands of dollars on outdated or outgoing marketing strategies.

Over the past few weeks, I have experienced many meetings with potential customers that are spending anywhere between $500-5000 a month on local magazine ads, billboards, coupon books, newspapers, and everything else you can imagine. Each small business owner asked me, “what do you think about those advertising platforms?”

My response was and is simple, “Where do you see most people paying attention today? What are you doing during commercial breaks, before a movie starts in a the theater, or even on a date? Why are you spending money in places that no one pays attention to anymore?”

Dropping your marketing spend in areas that aren’t driving business is just smart business. You can’t just disappear though. You need to figure out where the attention is on the Internet too, because that is changing at an exponential rate.

Here’s a breakdown of what is going out, what is current, and what is on the horizon for all of you early adopters.

Outgoing Internet Marketing Tactics

These are tools that still achieve results, but their ROI is significantly lower today. Eventually, they will fade away.

Email marketing: If you jumped on email marketing 15 years ago, you were winning. It still works today, but you’re lucky if you get a 15%-20% open rate. We’re just not excited about email today.

Yelp Advertising: A few months ago, I predicted that Yelp would eventually fade away due to their anonymous review system which has lost trust significantly and competition from Facebook. Their ads are also out of date in style and delivery. We’re programmed now to just skip over them, even though they are at the top of the search.

Google AdWords: The paid listings at the top of search results are quickly losing favor. While there have been a few minor successes with their ad delivery recently (we’re actually having a great year with AdWords for our home services customers), Google is suffering from a loss of clicks in their ads. Worse is the fact that when most people click on ads on a mobile device, it’s by accident.

Current Internet Marketing Strategies (MUSTS)

Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram: There are still social media deniers out there, and I think they’re going to have a really difficult time as mobile Internet share and purchasing behavior shifts over the next 12-24 months. These networks require strategy if you want to succeed. The days of building a Facebook page and acquiring new fans are over. You have to earn it with the content that you share.

Facebook and Instagram Ads: The Facebook ecosystem is the most popular, used, and advanced in terms of targeting ability. Successful ads require you to know your customer and to know your own brand well. You should use what you know about both to reach your ideal customer with content that converts. Instagram has had some targeting issues, but for the most part, it is powerful as well and runs off of Facebook’s ad buying program. Again, you need to know your audience, your business, but you also need to understand Instagram so that your ads blend into the ecosystem.

Business Blogs: Content creation via blog posts are still doing very well for businesses. While video and images continue to explode and podcasts are making a comeback, the written word has maintained its popularity. I think it ties into the fact that reading information allows us to scan and skip around easily to content that we’re seeking. As search engines still play a large role in how we discover businesses, business blogs also work well with authority building through relevancy of original content.

Internet Marketing You Need to Jump on NOW That’s Not “Proven” Yet

A few weeks ago, I read an article on Forbes.com that said Snapchat was an awful place for marketers because you couldn’t click through to a website, or measure how long people watched your Snaps. I’m not positive, but I bet he also said email marketing was stupid back in 1995 because you couldn’t measure open rates. No, you can’t click through to a site to make a purchase, but that’s not always the point of marketing. Those are the hard metrics that CFO’s want to see. The soft metrics though, are what build brands and open the doors with brand influence and authority.

Jump on the strategies now while you can still have an impact:

Snapchat: The demographics first started with teens, and then college aged adults. Today, the fastest growing age demographics include 25-35 year olds. This time last year, Snapchat had 100 million daily active users. So remind me why you think it’s a social network just for kids? If you can start leveraging this network now and figure it out (because it is by far the most time consuming for marketers) then you will have the advantage that many businesses did back in the day when Facebook just started to explode. It’s a land grab right now, and you don’t want to be left out.

Snapchat On Demand Geofilters: If you’re unfamiliar with the Snapchat platform, geofilters or image overlays that users can place over the images that they create. For example: If you’re within the Atlanta city limits, an “Atlanta” filter can be applied to your Snapchat image/video. Businesses can now purchase ad space in certain areas for a certain amount of time. We have launched on demand geofilters for small businesses such as designers in New York City and roller skating rinks in Texas. Results have been amazing so far, especially because the competition is so low.

Pinterest Advertising: We have used Pinterest advertising for almost a year now, and have loved the results as well. I’m shocked at how little competition there is when it comes to advertising on this female dominant visual search engine that is geared towards the purchase process. Why wouldn’t you want an ad for your business to be found in a place that is all about consumerism?

Small businesses that create a strong foundation with Internet marketing open themselves up for the opportunity to tackle early adoption of platforms like Snapchat (which we haven’t seen growth in a network like this since Facebook). If you’re wondering how you can afford to move into Internet marketing, maybe it’s time to look at your traditional marketing expenses and start phasing them out.

]]>We can tell that there&#8217;s a shift in digital awareness amongst small business owners right now. Unfortunately for most, it&#8217;s not happening quickly enough nor is it going deep enough. We&#8217;re still just scratching the surface, even with small businesses that are beginning to embrace Internet marketing. One of my big concerns right now for [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/early-marketing-adoption/Snapchat’s Update and Small Business – Your Next Marketing Movehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/NDKRcxP7V5w/BlogKevinWed, 30 Mar 2016 04:28:36 PDThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=1016Snapchat isn’t a new social network, but it has gained a tremendous amount of traction over the past few months. Most of that can be attributed to the fact that they have been able to shake off their label as a sexting tool as naysayers finally figured out that it’s just a really fun way to connect with friends.

While I’ve spent the past year exploring Snapchat, I’ve advised that small businesses carefully consider whether they are ready to jump in and start using it as a marketing tool. Yesterday, Snapchat rolled out a new update that I believe makes a convincing argument for small businesses (especially in retail and entertainment) to make it a priority and add it to their marketing tool belt.

Snapchat’s Chat 2.0

The new update put a major emphasis on the one on one chat feature within Snapchat. It added image uploads, voice calling, video chatting, audio recording, and GIF/sticker sharing. Some of these features can be found native in your phone right now through apps like iMessage on your iPhone. Purists might not be big fans of this update, but I believe that it maintains their overall goal to be the next best thing to in person communication.

When you can make it easier and more fun to use your app, then people are going to stick around and use it longer. Whether you like it or not, attention is the currency in our world today and apps need you to make deposits of time in order to stay alive. Obviously, Chat 2.0 (the name of the update) opens up new advertising opportunities for Snapchat, but who cares?

So far, their advertising (other than the story ads) have been fairly non intrusive, and I think is something that media companies and advertisers need to move towards in order to stop wasting ignored dollars. If Snapchat can introduce new ways for them to monetize their free app in a way that falls in line with their currently fun filters, then it’s a good fit.

How Small Businesses Need to Leverage Snapchat

Now that I’ve written over 300 words to set this section up, it’s time to dive into how small businesses can leverage Snapchat today for their Internet marketing strategy.

One on one communication for sales: The new chat features expand the ability for small businesses to tap into one on one social sales. If you’re building a following and adding valuable content to your stories, some of your followers might reach out through private chats. For example, a retail shop selling outdoor gear could have a customer reach out about a hat that you were wearing in your Snap story (see my recent article about product placement). This is the perfect opportunity to make a sale through social media.

Personalized customer service: Snapchat isn’t just a tool for story telling. It’s a network built for connecting in private conversations as well. Some of your most valued customers will follow you on Snapchat, and eventually (if they aren’t already doing it) they will begin to reach out if they need customer service help. As a small business, this is an opportunity for you to connect in a personal way to show empathy to either fix something or answer questions that your customer might have for you. This is a massive opportunity to connect on a more human to human level.

On demand geo filters: Possibly one of the least expensive and fun ways to get your brand out is Snapchat’s On Demand Geo Filters. Our Marketing Strategist, Taylor McGlamery, recently launched one and had great success with it at an event. The On Demand Geo Filters allow you to pay for you to launch a filter (image overlay) that can be used within a certain geographical area. You could use this feature for trunk sales, birthday celebrations, private parties, or tap into a special event. Atlanta has neighborhoods like Roswell and Woodstock with thriving downtown areas that throw festivals. This is an opportunity to use the event to gain exposure and get your brand out to festival goers if you’re open OR to bypass a sponsorship and market directly to them.

Before you jump into Snapchat, you need to develop an overall strategy. Know what you want to accomplish from it, how you plan on using it, if you will have content standards, and who will be in charge of managing it. It’s going to take work to do it well. If you’re willing to put in the effort, then I believe you will reap the benefits of it.

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it! It would mean the world to me if you Liked or shared this post!

]]>Snapchat isn&#8217;t a new social network, but it has gained a tremendous amount of traction over the past few months. Most of that can be attributed to the fact that they have been able to shake off their label as a sexting tool as naysayers finally figured out that it&#8217;s just a really fun way [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/snapchats-update-and-small-business-your-next-marketing-move/The Biggest Social Media Mistake a Small Business Can Makehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/5RDC8In62mI/BlogKevinThu, 24 Mar 2016 17:49:19 PDThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=1011

Everywhere you look, there’s an abandoned Twitter feed, or a neglected Facebook page. They are the remnants of an idea that wasn’t quite executed or enthusiasm just died off. Abandoned social media profiles are awful, but they are not the biggest mistake a small business can make with social media.

The one thing that’s worse than abandoning a profile is to treat your social media as a checkmark. Click To Tweet

Thanks a Lot Social Media Gurus

Every year, a small business owner will attend a webinar or a conference where someone claiming to be a guru hops up onto stage and says that the secret to success is to post on social media. Unfortunately, the excitement over the silver bullet to riches often doesn’t translate well because the small business owner isn’t able to implement a strategy.

That’s because 1) they weren’t given one by the guru and 2) they don’t have the time or know-how to create one.

We started TrustWorkz because we wanted to do the things that a small business owner would do to help their small business if they knew how to or had the time to do them.

What’s Wrong with Going Through the Motions?

Here’s the thing about social media: it’s meant to be social. When brands start going through the motions and treat their social media like a checkmark, it screams inauthenticity. In today’s world, this isn’t just a major turn off, but it can also lead to real reputation issues (if you’re not lucky enough to be ignored first).

Small businesses going through the motions on social media is similar to doing the same thing in an actual relationship. When you let things fizzle, a break up is inevitable.

How Do You Know If You’re Just Checking Things Off?

If you’re not sure that you’re just going through the motions, then I’ve got news for you. That’s the first sign of a bad relationship between you and your social media. Here are a few other red flags:

Your content is the same day after day. Let’s try posting something different! Maybe a photo?

It’s the last thing on your mind. “Oh crap! I’ve got to make a post today!”

You’re not responding to reviews, new likes, or comments. Concern and gratitude go a long way!

Profiles aren’t quite abandoned, but they’re not quite active. You’re in limbo. You kind of care, but only when you’re running a promo.

You’re not investing in learning about strategy, tools, or updates. Things move fast!

Content is 100% about you and it lacks value. Treating your Facebook page like a billboard shows a lack of understanding of the ecosystem you’re using to market and sell.

Do you see why checking things off can be worse than just going through the motions? Apathy only tends to leave your customers wondering whether you care, and it also ends up being a complete waste of time.

Choose a Path with Social Media

My advice is to choose one or the other. Either quit social media and own the fact that you’re going to hustle in other ways to get in front of your ideal customer, or go all in and make social media work for your small business. You have better things to do than to not care about getting your Internet marketing to a point that it’s driving sales for you.

Did you enjoy reading this post? It would mean the world to me if you Liked or shared it! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!

]]>Everywhere you look, there&#8217;s an abandoned Twitter feed, or a neglected Facebook page. They are the remnants of an idea that wasn&#8217;t quite executed or enthusiasm just died off. Abandoned social media profiles are awful, but they are not the biggest mistake a small business can make with social media. The one thing that&#8217;s worse [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/the-biggest-social-media-mistake-a-small-business-can-make/Dealing with the Soft Metrics of Social Media in a Hard Data Driven Worldhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/uPEDPklwvjQ/BlogKevinThu, 10 Mar 2016 04:42:54 PSThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=998Marketing can be a tough job if you’re not careful. For starters, there are a lot of businesses that have been burned by agencies or “gurus” that promised the world to only leave the customer with empty pockets. The industry also relies on soft metrics, which make it difficult to relate all activity to what people typically point to when examining ROI (return on investment).

This isn’t anything new. We’re just transitioning to different advertising mediums (digital). Unlike a billboard, which sales prospects have chosen over me before, you can accurately target your audience and track actions with the Internet. At some point, it does become more difficult to track how an ad on Facebook maybe didn’t result in a call or click, but did encourage someone to walk-in to the business.

Here’s the thing though; People are stuck on traditional advertising because that’s the way it has been for decades. Even when those mediums were becoming the standard for what you needed to do as a local business, there were still people getting taken from agencies. They just didn’t realize it because of the warm fuzzy feelings you get from seeing your billboard up over town.

Let’s take a look at marketing today though to see if it’s actually worth it.

Will Internet Marketing Help a Small Business?

Forget the thousands of scholars and experts that say, “Yes, Internet marketing helps you grow your business.” At the end of the day, if you’re a skeptical business owner that has been burned, that means nothing to you. I get it. But let’s assume that marketing/advertising are important parts of attracting business. Can we agree on that fact? If so, then let’s go over a few questions.

Marketing is built to attract attention and let people know that your business exists. Where are the eyeballs now and how do we quantify it? How are you reading this post? According to my analytics, 70% of the visitors to my site and most of our customers’ sites are coming from a phone.

What are you checking during commercial breaks? During conference calls? While you’re at dinner? Could it be your phone? Are you one of those people that doesn’t believe in having a phone or Facebook? Fine. Just look around you and see what people are doing at the mall, the grocery store, or the red light in the car next to you.

Traditional marketing can talk to you about readership, how many people drive by a billboard on an average day, and they can even throw tracking numbers on ads to help quantify your ad spend. As a business owner, do you feel like those metrics mean something because those advertising companies provide you with something tangible in the form of a print ad or billboard? Do you think those mediums are powerful enough to pull someone’s attention away from their Instagram feed?

Finding Social Media Results

Social media is packed full of amazing metrics. The large social networks provide businesses with demographic information, incredible targeting for paid advertisements, and even tracking technology to pick up business that converts over the Internet For example, we use our Facebook ads to target family entertainment center owners. We then track the impressions, clicks, how much time those prospects spend on our site, and whether or not they convert into a lead via filling out a contact form. Those are hard metrics that we’re able to use to quantify our Facebook ad spend every month.

However, a significant amount of leads come through those ads that call us instead. Or they bookmark our site and come back to it 2 or 3 months later (beyond our tracking window). At that point, we have to rely on piecing the soft metrics, our intuition on where the attention of the prospect is (their phone)We attempt to pull as much information from them as possible to try and piece together their purchase journey.

It’s not 100% accurate, but we’re able to get a good idea of whether campaigns are working or not. We look at year over year history, account for seasonal trends, examine everything we’re doing (referral program, print media, Internet marketing) and of course our sales numbers.

All of these numbers will point to one thing: Do more people know about us today than they did yesterday? Assuming that the market needs our services, then the influence, exposure, engagement that our brand creates should make a difference in the amount of small business owners that contact us to help them drive business with social media marketing.

Here’s What You Need to Ask Yourself

If you’re a small business owner and you’re skeptical of Internet marketing and social media, you need to ask yourself a few questions:

Are you willing to look past a bad experience or bad zero results from previous attempts?

Are you the right person to be managing your own marketing?

I believe that social media is an extremely powerful tool for small businesses today, and unfortunately, the majority of business owners are not tapping into it completely. There’s only an ROI in social media if you use it correctly to help your business capture eyeballs consuming content on it all day long.

Here’s the thing; you can’t just jump onto social media and be successful. You need a strategy. It needs to be built out with short term and long term goals. You need to ask yourself, how can I provide so much value and increase my exposure to the point that my potential customer has no choice but to give me their business?

If you found this 1000 word blog post valuable, it would mean the world to me if you Liked or shared it! Thank you!

]]>Marketing can be a tough job if you&#8217;re not careful. For starters, there are a lot of businesses that have been burned by agencies or &#8220;gurus&#8221; that promised the world to only leave the customer with empty pockets. The industry also relies on soft metrics, which make it difficult to relate all activity to what [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/social-media-value/It’s the Little Things That Matter Mosthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/Ela6--Oznec/BlogKevinTue, 01 Mar 2016 17:05:08 PSThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=993

A great quarterback and his offensive line.

These two positions both require extreme skill, and are in my opinion, the most important people on the field. Most fans and players would probably agree with me about quarterbacks, but offensive linemen? Aren’t they just HUGE people? Not at all.

It’s a series of small things done well that help them drive results.Click To Tweet

Offensive linemen begin and end the play. These giant human beings aren’t just pushing their weight around. It’s about a series of small things put together in order to overtake the defense. If one of these things goes wrong, then a defensive end or linebacker will make his way through and crush the quarterback. BAM! The play is dead.

When you’re on the offensive line, it begins with getting set. Your first step off the line isn’t a power move, but one of finesse. Actually, it’s about 6 inches. No more, no less. That first step out of their stance allows these enormous human beings to gain the proper amount of speed, momentum, and strength to defend their quarterback. After that first pop to the chest to the defense, the offensive line will drive their feet in short, quick steps.

It’s a series of small things done well that help them drive results.

Here’s my question for you: What are the small things that you’re executing today to achieve the results that you want 2, 3 or 5 years from now? How much do you want to succeed? Most people cut corners.

Will you?

]]>A great quarterback and his offensive line. These two positions both require extreme skill, and are in my opinion, the most important people on the field. Most fans and players would probably agree with me about quarterbacks, but offensive linemen? Aren&#8217;t they just HUGE people? Not at all. It&#8217;s a series of small things done well [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/its-the-little-things-that-matter-most/Why Effort Builds Influencehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/bGeb7jn8kes/BlogKevinSun, 28 Feb 2016 13:30:49 PSThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=968

Is it reasonable enough to say that social media is no longer in its infant stages? Yes? Okay, then!

Now let’s divide business people up into two different camps:

Those that believe social media is important

Those that think it’s a huge waste of time and don’t see the point

If you fall under group #1, then we could probably split you up into two more groups: those that can prove ROI and those that believe there’s an ROI but can’t put their finger on it just yet. Either way, good for you. You’re seeing the bigger picture, or at least part of it.

If you fall under group #2, then sit tight. Although I believe that I’m about to address something that both groups can benefit from, I really think that you can pull the greatest value out of this post. Please approach this with an open mind.

You Need to Understand What Makes Social Media (People) Tick

When you first set out to conquer social media for your brand, it probably seemed like just another way to reach your target audience with a bunch of ads. Yes, it is a place that you can sell. If it wasn’t, I would be building a different business and using a different medium to reach my potential customers and so would thousands of other marketers and business owners.

However, most small business owners forget why they or their friends joined social media in first place, or why people even like it so much for that matter. How can you blame them? Their vision is foggy from all of the potential sales!

Remember, people use social media to connect with people. They’re pulling value through relationships, entertainment, education, and edification. If you polled Facebook’s user base, they probably wouldn’t rank “being sold to” as the number one reason why they enjoy using the network.

The thing that makes people tick – the thing that we long for – is relationship building. We love to connect on a human to human level. Your biggest mistake as a business is when you lose sight of who your audience is and how they use the medium you want to use to reach them.

Success Requires Effort

I would bet that around 90% of small businesses don’t understand or implement the idea that they need to add value first in their social media marketing (read this article on Adding Value in Social Media if you’re not sure what I’m talking about). Of that 10% that “gets it”, I would say that the majority of them forget to put in the next important ingredient: effort.

What I mean by effort is the follow through. Just like a jump shot in basketball, the follow through is the difference between making a shot and clunking it on the front of the rim.

When you’re putting forth effort, you’re not just adding value and stopping there. You’re distributing it (value in the form of content) and you’re engaging with people (like, all of them).

Effort is unique because most people believe that they can just build content and people will magically 1) find it and 2) buy the product. The true story is that most consumers require many interactions with a brand before they move forward with a purchase decision, and most consumers are used to getting crap from brands (in quality of product and service).

If you can put the effort into helping customers find valuable content (sharing, SEOing, promoting) and then you put in the extra effort that so many businesses are falling short on with human to human interaction, then you’re on your way to EARNING influence.

The influence that comes from effort is what tees you up for the final, and extremely important part of this equation; asking for the business.

Here’s the final equation for you to implement:

Many businesses reverse this and think that adding value only comes after the sale, which is why so many end up under delivering and never gain any influence.

Thank you so much for reading! It would mean the world to me if you would share or recommend this post to your friends or colleagues.

]]>Is it reasonable enough to say that social media is no longer in its infant stages? Yes? Okay, then! Now let&#8217;s divide business people up into two different camps: Those that believe social media is important Those that think it&#8217;s a huge waste of time and don&#8217;t see the point If you fall under group #1, [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/why-effort-builds-influence/feed/0http://kevinekmark.com/why-effort-builds-influence/There Are No Shortcuts: Work Harder AND Smarterhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KevinEkmarkDotCom/~3/kfJvWQ4MLj8/BlogKevinFri, 19 Feb 2016 08:01:12 PSThttp://kevinekmark.com/?p=961

There’s this idea going around that in order to strike a balance in your work life, you should work smarter and not harder. As a business owner, entrepreneur, manager, or team member, that philosophy only works if you are content with the results or output that you are currently achieving.

I believe that the path to ultimate freedom (financial and time) requires us to work harder AND work smarter.

Here’s the thing about that idea: If you’re working harder and smarter, then you’re making the most of every single minute. When I see people struggling with time management and working 60 and 70 hour work weeks, it’s because they’re not maximizing every minute and being intentional with the time that they ideally spend working.

My desire for my team is that they come to work, hustle 100%, and then they’re able to go home and never check their email until the next day. That’s working harder and smarter, because they’re maximizing every single minute. Being intentional about the tasks we need to accomplish during the timeframe that we set to accomplish them not only provides that freedom to work on a side hustle (or for business owners, take your company to the next level), but it also gives us the freedom to enjoy our passions and personal lives (family, friends, vacations).

Work plays a significant role in all of our lives. If balance is what you’re looking for, try committing to working harder and smarter. If you’re trying to fit in a side hustle, try working harder and smarter during your 9 to 5 AND your side hustle. If you’re trying to take your business to the next level, this is your only option, and you must work harder and smarter.

]]>There&#8217;s this idea going around that in order to strike a balance in your work life, you should work smarter and not harder. As a business owner, entrepreneur, manager, or team member, that philosophy only works if you are content with the results or output that you are currently achieving. I believe that the path [&#8230;]http://kevinekmark.com/there-are-no-shortcuts-work-harder-and-smarter/feed/0http://kevinekmark.com/there-are-no-shortcuts-work-harder-and-smarter/